Following Up

A few weeks ago I posted about my fitness challenge I have given myself. I want to follow up with some of what we have changed and the results that are in so far.

We haven't really changed anything drastically, but we've definitely changed some things. One of the main things we have changed is our eating habits. Several months ago Allison wanted to change the amount of sweets we consumed. She felt that 3 days a week were enough, so we (I use this loosely) started limiting ourselves to sweets three times per week. While that was a good idea, I wasn't really motivated but still complied for the most part. As I before, at the end of the year I got on the scale and did not like what I saw, so the first thing I did was talk to a friend from work about nutrition. We talked about what he does and Allison and I have modified it to work for us and it has really made a significant difference in the first three weeks of the year.

We are now eating smoothies, made at home, for breakfast. We have 3 different versions that we make from chocolate banana, to berry, to coconut. They all have the same basic ingredients, but some changes in order to mix it up a little. The other main thing we've implemented is that we limit the amount of cheat meals to 4 per week. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner so we have to be pretty strategic about it. This, however, gives us a chance to make better choices, but still have some meals where we feel that we can have what we want. I am also happy to report that I am gladly complying with the 3 days of sweets per week.

The other thing we've done is changed our training for race we are running in a few weeks. We have changed from pounding out mileage to high intensity training. I think this has sort of shocked my metabolism into a frenzy, along with my body getting food that it can burn efficiently.

Overall I am very pleased with my results so far. As of this morning I have lost 13 pounds and weigh 184, down from 197. I haven't had my body fat tested, but plan to in the next week or so. I am in the range that I feel I need to be in, weight-wise. I could stand to lose a few more pounds, but as of now I don't plan to make any more significant changes.

One of my goals for 2012 is to maintain a healthy weight throughout the year. This is a good start and something I intend to diligently keep up with.

Do you have any goals for 2012? How are you doing so far in keeping them?

We're Gonna Do What?

Well, it's official. Me, Allison, a co-worker of Allison's, a law school classmate of Allison's, a spouse of a co-worker of Allison's, and one yet to be determined member have signed up for the Rouge Orleans, a 126.2 mile ultra marathon. We talked about it last year, but didn't act on it. As of yesterday we are registered. Now comes the hard part, training and racing. This is unlike any race we've ever done before. In this race each of the 6 team members will run 5 legs of 3-5 miles. While Allison and I have ran 3-5 miles many times, we've never done it 5 times in a 20 hour period. We are really excited about this though. It will be a great experience, the team is full of great people, and we get to see of great friends the Becks. As crazy as it may sound, I can't wait!

Fitness/Nutrition Adventure

I am thinking of doing a little experiment. Well, hopefully it won't be an experiment. I am hoping it will be a life changing decision followed by a few life changes. If you know me or read this blog much you probably know that I, for the most part, enjoy exercise. I try to exercise several times per week. I enjoy running, biking, swimming, as well as working out in the gym. While much of this takes discipline, I don't really claim to have much in that category.

What I don't really enjoy is disciplined nutrition. I will admit, I am horrible on this end of fitness. In fact, you can just call me the cookie monster. I like them in all types--chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia, sugar, frosted...you get the point. While I am fairly fit, I know that if I can get my eating and nutrition under control I can be much more so.

The main reason I want this is for Allison and Cooper. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I won't enjoy looking and feeling better, because I will. But there are some startling facts about the men in my relatively immediate family. The most glaring is they don't live very long. And by not very long, I mean, most of them haven't reached age 65. 

When I am 65 Allison and I will have been married for 43 years. That's hard to believe even as I type it. If the first 10 1/2 are any indication, however, I want much more than 43. I mean, seriously. I love being married to her. And I can't imagine cutting our marriage short simply because I wasn't disciplined in what I ate and didn't control things that I had complete control over.

When I am 65 Cooper will be 37. At the current trend of when people have kids he will probably have a child that is 7ish. Now that's not a very long time to spend with a grandchild. And from what I understand, having grandchildren around is awesome! I mean what's not to love about taking a kid fun places, giving them treats, and the sending them home to their parents!

So here is my plan. I am changing the way I eat. I will continue to exercise the way I have been for a few years, but the nutrition side is getting a make over. I am not completely sure what this makeover will look like, but I know it will look a lot less sugary. Below are two figures (no pun intended) that I am going to monitor. I know these aren't the only things that determine healthiness, but these are the most visible and probably the easiest to measure at any given moment. As time progresses I will post about how this is going as well as any progress (one way or the other) that I make.


weight - 197 lbs (my scales at home)
body fat - 21.2% (as of 10/20/11; I assume it is a little higher right now, but I don't know for sure)


This, by coincidence, happens to be the first of a new year. It is not a resolution, but one of my goals for 2012 is to maintain a healthier weight. I am hoping that it is a start to a healthier me.


Are there fitness/nutritional changes you need to make? Did you make any in 2011 that made a difference in your life?